Vespertilionid bats live in temperate to tropical climates worldwide. They are absent from far northern North American and Eurasia, as well as Antarctica.

The diet for most of the vespertilionid bats consists of insects, and many species eat their body weight in insects each night. A few species eat other things, including spiders, scorpions, fish, and lizards.

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Although this group of bats is large and contains many different-looking species, they do share several characteristics. Compared to many other bats that have what might be described as bizarre noses with flaps and other fleshy decorations, the vespertilionid (ves-per-TILL-ee-on-id) bats have plain faces. They are even known as the "plain-faced bats." Some species have noses shaped l…

Like other bats, the vespertilionid bats use sound waves to find their way through their habitat and to find food. They make high-pitched sounds, ones that we cannot hear, and then listen as the waves bounce off of objects and return to them as echoes. Using this method of "seeing" with sound, they can fly quickly between tree limbs and around objects, while also finding and identify…

Humans frequently don't recognize the benefits of bats. Vespertilionid bats eat many insects, including mosquitoes, crop-damaging beetles, and other pest species. Just five bats can eat 15,000 or more insects in a single night. Besides their benefit in keeping insect populations in check, bats have become a part of the folklore of many cultures. Much of the folklore, including that portraye…

Physical characteristics: Unlike many of the dark-furred, small-eyed vespertilionid bats, the pallid bat is yellowish with larger eyes. It also has large ears. Adult size ranges from 3.6 to 5.5 inches (9.2 to 14 centimeters) in body length and 0.5 to 1 ounce (13 to 29 grams) in weight. Its tail is a little more than a third of its body length. Geographic range: The pallid bat lives in western Nort…

Physical characteristics: This large-eared bat ranges from 1.8 to 2.4 inches (4.5 to 6.0 centimeters) in body length with a tail nearly as long, and 0.2 to 0.4 ounces (6 to 12 grams) in weight. Its back fur is black with white tips, and its belly fur is lighter. Geographic range: The western barbastelle lives in central and northern Europe. Habitat: These bats prefer upland forests, usually near w…

Physical characteristics: Similar in appearance to the big brown bat, this species is a bit smaller. Its body length averages 3.1 to 3.7 inches (20 to 27 centimeters) with a tail a little less than half that size. It weighs 0.2 to 0.5 ounces (6 to 14 grams). The little brown bat is light to dark brown above with a lighter belly. Geographic range: This bat lives in Canada, the United States, and Me…

Physical characteristics: Unlike other vespertilionid bats, bentwing bats have a long third finger that they can bend beneath their wing when they aren't flying. The common bentwing bat has a thick gray, yellow, or brown fur coat. It ranges from 2.0 to 3.1 inches (5.1 to 7.8 centimeters) in body length and weighs 0.3 to 0.6 ounces (8 to 16 grams). Its tail is about as long as its body. Geog…

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